The present invention relates to a cookware article, and in particular to a handle for cookware, and an article of cookware deploying such a handle.
Cookware handles commonly have holes at the end for receiving hooks or pegs for vertically hanging in a kitchen. Hollow handles are preferred for their lighter weight, as well as lower conductivity of heat, with respect to solid metal handles. As the hollow handle also dissipates heat, is provides the user with greater latitude to directly grasp the handle when cookware article is used on a stove top for a generally reasonable period of time. Hollow handles can also be relatively large for easy and secure gripping, but remain light in weight so the pan is not tipped over.
However, providing a hanging hole in a hollow handle presents some problem and complexity in its design and manufacturing, as it is desirable to prevent water and other materials from entering the hollow handle and flowing toward the flange where it would be heated and possibly produce steam. Thus, this hanging hole is preferably a pipe that extends downward through the open cavity of the handle to seal it, or in fact a solid plug at the end of the cookware with a simple bore through it. The former approach of providing a sealed pipe through the hollow portion is more complex to manufacture than a solid plug. However, the solid plug adds weight, in contradiction to the otherwise beneficial attribute of a hollow handle.
It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide a generally hollow handle with a hanging mount that is simpler to manufacture without adding significant weight.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a hollow handle with a hanging mount that is unlikely to collect or accumulate debris.